What to do if you DO get sick...If you do end up getting sick this season, remember, there is wisdom in sickness. Symptoms are our body’s way of speaking to us, letting us know that, “hey, something isn’t right here and I need extra support.” Don’t cover them up with OTC pills and syrups; give your body the nutritional and kindness boot it’s asking for. No one can offer a magic pill as an “instant cure-all,” but here are five tips to lesson your sick time and alleviate the discomfort.

Rest: We feel tired when we’re sick because our immune system is working overtime. It’s similar to running the AC in your car; your car may not have as much power with the AC on because this system within a system is working hard to do its job. So, give your body the rest it needs and don't step on the accelerator! This frees up energy for the immune system. A day on the couch could save you from a lingering sore throat or cough.

Fasting: If you aren’t hungry, don’t force the food… Short fasts can actually strengthen the immune system because they free up energy that would otherwise go to the digestive system to digest food. It is important to supply easily digestible nutrients though, so the immune system has the materials it needs to do its job. This is where fresh juice, broth, and simple cooked foods come in. Make fresh juice in a Vitamix or invest in a cheap juicer (watch video here). You can usually find juicers for a good deal on Craig’s List. Or, borrow one from a friend. Bieler Broth is a traditional easy-to-make vegetable broth (recipe by Lily Calfee) perfect for a sick day or for detoxing. Make bone broth with what’s left over after cooking a whole chicken. Simple cooked foods like baked squash, or steamed cauliflower or apples provide a little more sustenance. I love a steamed apple or pear with coconut milk; quick to make, easy to digest, and satisfying (recipe below).

Supplements: Pretty straight forward…

Vitamin C 500-1,000 mg 3X per day

Vitamin D3 10,000 I.U.s per day (Get levels tested!)

Probiotic 25 million CFU per day, if not already taking a one

Zinc picolinate 30 mg 1X per day

Magnesium; I like the Natural Calm packets. Drink one per day.

Tonics and hot beverages: Herbal teas, such as Echinacea, elderberry, and calendula are always a good idea. But did you ever think of making tea with garlic and fresh ginger or raw apple cider vinegar? These are common grocery store items that make a powerful anti-viral tonic. Raw cider vinegar helps the body become more alkaline, making an uninhabitable environment for bacteria. (See recipes below.)

Sweat it out! Raising the body temperature and promoting sweating turns on the oven and helps kill off the bad guys. Spend some time in a sauna or take a hot bath. Remember to hydrate before, during, and after as you can lose a lot of electrolytes through sweating. Coconut water, Natural Calm, or fresh homemade juice with celery will do the trick.

Steamed Apple with Coconut Milk

1 organic apple, such as Braburn or Fuji, sliced and cored

½ tsp cinnamon

3 TBS full-fat coconut milk

Steam apple for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Top with cinnamon and coconut milk and serve.

Garlic Ginger Lemon Honey tea

8-10 oz filtered water

1 garlic clove, minced

¼” chunk fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin (can me omitted if you don’t have any on hand)

½ TBS lemon or myer lemon

½ tsp raw unfiltered honey (less if using myer lemon)

Mince garlic and let sit until water boils. Add garlic, ginger, lemon, and honey to a cup and fill with freshly boiled water. Stir and sip. Be sure to swallow the garlic chunks. Drink 1-2 times per day.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey

8-10 oz filtered water

1 TBS raw apple cider vinegar, such as Bragg’s

1 tsp raw unfiltered honey

Add vinegar and honey to a cup and fill with warm/hot water. Stir and sip. Drink 3 cups a day.

It’s getting to be that time of year again… As the weather cools and we spend more time indoors, we're more likely to pick up bug. Here are the top five immune bandits and heroes. Relive the stress on your immune system by avoiding the bandits and strengthen it with heroes!

Immune Bandits

Sugar: Sugar weakens the immune system drastically. One study looked at the response of white blood cells and their ability to destroy bacteria after ingesting 3.5 oz of sugar (apx. 2 cans of Coke). Results showed a 50% decrease in white blood cell function in just 30 minutes after ingestion (1).

Chronic stress: There are many studies linking all types of stressors (emotional, physical, traumatic, environmental…) to reduced immunity. Stress increases particular hormones that weaken the immune system and trigger inflammation, including epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol. These hormones also weaken beneficial gut bacterial, stomach acid, and other immune-related compounds, all of which defend against unwanted microbes. Stress also increases the risk of sleep deprivation, cravings for junk food, and drug and alcohol use.

Sedentary lifestyle: Without exercise, we lack the oxygen that supports energy production and beneficial bacteria in our digestive system, where over 70% of our immune system resides. Exercise is also essential for proper function of the lymph nodes. These tiny powerhouses help fight disease by producing and storing white blood cells, among other immune-supporting functions.

Processed diet: The Standard American diet lacks nutrients that support immune function including zinc, magnesium, B-vitamins, vitamin D, and vitamin C. In addition to being high in sugar, it’s also high in processed fats, which suppress detoxification.

Increase Vitamin D: This vitamin plays an enormous role in immunity! Low vitamin D levels are directly related to increased susceptibility to infection. Vitamin D deficiency also puts you at greater risk for osteoporosis, cancer, and auto-immune conditions… Nothing to mess around with. Scary but true, researchers estimate that over 50% of the US population is deficient (3)! And, although we do make vitamin D through our skin from the sunshine, we can only make our daily recommended value during the months of April-September. Increase vitamin D in your diet with wild salmon, sardines, organic whole milk yougur, and pasture-raised eggs. Supplement with vitamin D3 and get your levels tested! Optimal blood levels are 50-70 ng/ml (3). It’s difficult to recommend a daily supplement amount because it will depend on your current level; you don’t want to over-dose on this one! I highly recommend getting those levels tested with a 25-hydroxy D blood test. Your primary care physician can do this for you.

Increase zinc, vitamin C, and magnesium: Taking a multi-vitamin is a great way to add these supportive nutrients to the body. Between our depleted soils and poor diets, we all need extra vitamins and minerals. I recommend multi-vitamins from Designs for Health and Thorne. You can get GREAT deals on supplants through my on-line supplier, Natural Partners. Make this your one-stop shop for high quality products and receive free shipping (limited time only). Instructions for creating an account are listed below.

Take a probiotic: Beneficial gut bacterial plays a critical role in our immunity system. Good bacteria keep pathogens from colonizing and proliferating. Take a high potency probiotic (15-25 billion strands per capsule) every day through the cold and flu season. I recommend probiotics from Designs for Health. Jarrow or MegaFoods, and Garden of Life brands carry great products that you can find in health-food stores, Whole Foods, Sprouts, or Natural Grocers.

Keep fingers clean and out of your nose, eyes, and mouth! Germs enter the body through orifices; so if you’re going to rub your eyes or pick your nose, be sure to scrub those hands with soap and hot water (especially under finger nails) before doing so! Anti-bacterial soap NOT required or recommended. I’ll explain why in an upcoming blog.

Add immune-enhancing foods to your diet. Garlic is a potent anti-microbial, anti-viral super food! Add raw garlic to guacamole, dressings, tomato sauce, or chicken broth. Whey contains several immune-enhancing compounds and antioxidants. I recommend organic kefir or yogurt from Nancy’s, Wallaby, or White Mountain Foods. These companies don’t use genetically modified feed, hormones, or thickening agents (4). If using whey protein powder, use an undenatured variety for higher amounts of immune-supporting compounds. Fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut are full of probiotics that support gut health and therefore enhancing immune function. It’s easy (and cheap!) to make your own sauerkraut.

Geeze, what an ordeal… This all started with some uncomfortable and concerning dis-equilibrium that didn’t resolve itself. It all started back in mid August. While walking down the street, I suddenly felt like I was falling over on a swaying boat. My whole body seemed to spin around and upside down. After that, the sensation lingered consistently. I tried to ignore it and push through, but it affected my ability to focus and get work done. I thought, perhaps I just need a chiropractic adjustment; after all, I had a pretty stiff neck after the drive out to Tennessee. But, I was a little worried about myself.

A few weeks later, I took myself to the doctor (10 am appointment) and they recommended an EKG test, as dizziness such as this can be related to the heart. They didn’t have an EKG machine at this particular location, so they sent me downtown to another office. After a long concerning wait in the lobby, the assistant calls me back and hooks me up to the machine. This was my first EKG experience; so I had no idea what to expect. The nice thing about the testing machine is it provides instantaneous results… however, the doctor’s busy schedule kept me waiting in anticipation for about 20 minutes. Lying there on the cold vinyl exam bed with nothing but a paper nightgown on, the only thing I could do to remain calm was practice meditation. I imagined myself in Fort Brag California, sitting on the rugged coast line, listening to the gulls, and watching the waves break against the abrupt, moss-covered cliffs.

Finally, the doctor knocks on the door and I spring awake, quickly regaining consciousness and remembering where I was and why I was there. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions,” he starts out, “but your test results came back abnormal and I recommend you go to the ER to get a blood test to check for heart markers.” What!? There’s nothing wrong with my heart! I explained my story. “Well, there’s a chance nothing is wrong, but it would ruin your day and mine if we neglect to prevent a potentially serious condition.” I guess that’s the job of a doctor… no, not to scare the hell out of you, but to prevent the worst-case scenario. Certain there was nothing wrong with my heart, I called Wilson and had him drive me to the ER at St. Thomas Hospital. Yes, the “what-if” factor got me.

Driving to the hospital, I remembered my last visit to the ER as a little girl for some odd respiratory dysfunction. My mom told me, “think of it as an adventure, babes.” These words echo in my head often, but they were particularly loud in this moment in time. Nothing to be afraid of, just think of it as an adventure!

"Think of it as an adventure, babes"

When I get to the ER, I explain my story for the third time… They strap me up, took another EKG in the screening room, and same results. Waiting to be officially submitted, I made the best of the situation, put myself in a hunky-dory, care-free state of mind, and purposely forgot about all the things on my to-do list for the day. I knew I would be there a while...

When I got to my room, I put on my nightgown (cotton this time, thank goodness) and climbed into bed. My fist request for the nurse was to shut off the TV as I didn’t need to see a murder movie flash in my face or hear lies in commercials about the health benefits of corn oil. About 30 minutes later, a guy comes in with scrubs and a large machine. “I’m here to do an X-ray of your heart shadow.” What!? An X-ray!? My primary concern here was not the condition of my heart, but the hospital bill I was racking up! How the hell am I going to pay for all this? I don’t have insurance! That alone will give me a heart attack! Thirty minutes after the X-ray, I get my first blood draw. They would take two samples, a baseline reading, wait 90 minutes, and take another sample. If there were no changes, everything checks out and I can go home. I made small talk with all the nurses and text everyone important in my life about what was going on, with a “Guess where I am ;-)” type of attitude. I passed the time with more meditation and pod casts by Tara Broch. Meditation and my coconut water were the best medicine that I could have asked for at the time, so I felt lucky. The meditation eased my body and mind, the coconut water maintained my blood sugar, and the inability not to rest was in a way, very therapeutic. The only down side was every time I had to get up and pee, I had to call a nurse to disconnect me from all the cords and wires that monitored my vitals. I felt a little like Frankenstein.

The meditation eased my body and mind, the coconut water maintained my blood sugar, and the inability not to rest was in a way, very therapeutic.

Long story short, the medical staff forgot about me during shift change. So what should have been a 90 minute stay lasted seven hours. To make matters worse, there were three doctors, bless their souls, to manage 35 patients in ER (one of whom, me, didn’t need to be there and took valuable resources away from others). Seven hours without food was rough, but Wilson saved the day with my favorite curry squash soup. He brought hot, home cooked food for me around 10 pm (12 hours after my first appointment). Just before his arrival, the doctor came in with the results. “Everything looks normal.” Well no s*^# Sherlock… is what I wanted to say, even though deep down his words brought some relief, at least it wasn’t something serious… I left with unanswered questions about my dis-equilibrium and a prescription for anti-dizziness medication.

Update: I started some chiropractic adjustments and lo-and-behold, the dis-equilibrium has improved dramatically. It creeps back in every so often, but to a much lesser degree. I have another idea of what it could be… mold.